


Icarus

by NicNacis



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:21:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25465408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicNacis/pseuds/NicNacis
Summary: The first rule of survival is to trust no one.Born into the world of the dead, a young woman fights for survival. Will she soar to a place of freedom?Or will she fly too close to the sun?





	Icarus

**“Warm Body, Cold Heart"**

**The first rule of survival is to trust no one.**

He had spoken that rule over and over and just like the others they were now embedded in her. Of course in the early days she only survived because of him. Unlike him she had been born into this world of the dead. He was already tall and old when he had started taking care of her. He had always been the one who took care of her. At least the only one she could remember. He was gone now. The only thing left of him was what he had left her. He had left his journal, his knife, his leather jacket that was still too big on her and all his lessons. Without him she felt like a piece had broken inside. The only thing keeping her going was the desire to keep her promise. The promise and her one companion who stood at her feet.

“Spartan. Smell anything?” The tricolored mutt looked up at her with his smart eyes. He huffed at the ground and shook his head no in response. She had found him as a puppy a few years ago. In that time she and him developed a close bond. He was intelligent, well trained and while she enjoyed speaking with him they did not need words to communicate. After all noise could be deadly. He only ever barked or growled with warnings because like her he knew that silence meant they could stay safe. Safe from the walkers. Safe from people.

Spartan nudged her leg. Her mind had began to wander and he brought her back to the road in front of them. Lately her mind would disappear in her thoughts without warning. It was terrifying. It meant certain death if she couldn’t focus on what was ahead of her. She was lucky Spartan was there. If he wasn’t she would have missed the walker slowly crawling to her right.

She bent down to examine it. It couldn’t bite. It’s jaw had been severed but that was not what made her hair stand on end. It was the fact it’s hands were bound tight behind it’s back. That and it’s legs had been chopped off. It was obvious whoever this had been had not turned by accident. They had been tortured. Someone had murdered them for one reason or another. What ever the reason didn’t matter. What did matter was that this meant they needed to get off this open road and fast.

To the right, equally open field was a no go. To left was woods. The only viable option for cover. The only option for cover for them but also for any one that could be watching. She drew her knife and cautiously moved towards the woods. She began to look for any signs of life. Any tracks she would find she intended to go the opposite direction. Avoiding people meant staying safe. People were worst than the walkers. Walkers had no fear, no malice all they did was bite. People had fear. People had hate. Some killed just for fun. He had taught her. She had seen it.

“Fuck.” She muttered with Spartan letting out a huff in agreement. There were tracks and there were a lot of them. It could be just a be a group of walkers. When she looked through the brush and lower branches she didn’t find any good signs pointing to that theory however. Walkers did not have thoughts of avoiding low limbs or fallen trees. They moved toward sound without intelligence. Walkers left trails of tattered clothes, guts and the smell of rot. What she was seeing was sidesteps, boot prints, and steady strides. This was the marks of human beings.

Sunset was approaching them fast. They wouldn’t have much time to find a place to hole up to avoid what lay in the dark. Moving through the dark wasn’t her preferred way to travel to say the least. Not being able to see what is ahead of her made her feel anxious. So she moved away from the tracks as quickly as she could. Spartan stayed right at her feet as they moved quietly.

The two were in sync. Alert and ready for anything. Even if they were avoiding the tracks they found it didn’t mean they weren’t be tricked or tracked themselves.

_*We’re not out of the woods yet.*_

She smiled at the dumb pun that played through her head.Then she could hear his voice in her head instead.

_*Jokes later, focus now.*_

As they continued to move the sunlight dimmed and it was harder to see in front of them. So she listened and followed Spartan as he led their path. He suddenly grunted twice and she instantly dropped to her stomach. Spartan lied down next to her, his ears perked. She held her breath as she waited. Then they appeared.

“Why are we patrolling this far out again?”

"Because the boss told us to, Peter. You want to be the one to question him?”

“Yeah, Peter? Why don’t you question, the boss? I’d love to see him knock you down right on your ass.”

“Screw you, George!”

“Both of you shut it. The last thing we need is for you two loud mouths to draw a group of walkers to us.”

Three. One in front, the lead. Strong build, rifle and torch in hand. The second, Peter. Much shorter, a lot skinner but also with a rifle in hand. The third, George. Biggest of the bunch. Practically a giant. He had a rifle as well and a machete on his back. They were some sort of scout team obviously. She had to avoid them at all costs. She got into a crouch and slowly began to move away from their eyesight.

“Where’s the hell is, Grant?” A fourth?

Spartan let out a growl and she sprung up as another man suddenly came barreling at her at full speed. She barely avoided getting tackled by him. Before he could regain his footing she took off. Spartan at her rear as they began to flee.

“God Damn it! Will, Peter, George! We have company! Got her in my sights! She has a dog with her too!”

 _*Not good. Not good. Not fucking good!*_ “

Stop running, bitch!”

They weren’t firing at her yet. They may not want to kill her but they didn’t want to just talk either. You don’t call someone a bitch if you just want to have a conversation. Words and tone said this guy and his buddies were dangerous. She had to get away.

A bullet whizzed by on her right. Now they were shooting. More bullets followed and she felt one knick her left shoulder as she ducked under a fallen log. She couldn’t stop. She had to keep moving.

“Damn it, Peter! Stop firing! We need her alive! What if she is one of them? Walkers for miles are gonna come in now, you idiot! Now we have to deal with her and them!”

“No walkers anyway! What’s the big deal- oh shit!” Speak of the devil.

Spartan let out a sharp bark and she quickly sprung right as a walker came up to her left. Spartan and her began to weave around a dozen of them. Great, now she had to avoid trigger happy assholes and the dead in near darkness. One walker grasped her and as Spartan went for it’s feet she dug her knife clean through it’s head before kicking it off of her. They were going to be fine. They could do this. They had to do this.

“Found her boys!”

Shots scattered all around. Walkers falling as the men closed in on her. She heard a yelp. Blood splattered across her face as she fell. Her companion, her best friend, the only one she had lay dying next to her.

“No, Spartan! No!”

She reached for him. He whined as she buried her fingers in his fur. She could save him. Stop the bleeding. She had to stop the bleeding. He couldn’t leave her now.

“Please, Spartan. Please stay with me.”

The blood was flowing and she couldn’t stop it. He looked her in the eye. His breathing slowed. His nose touched her’s then he went lifeless in her arms. She wanted to cry. She wanted to break down as she clutched his body close to her chest. She didn’t have time to mourn.

“Look kid, drop the knife. You’re outnumbered and we don’t want to hurt you if we don’t have to.”

Anger flared within her. Her fingers clutching into the still warm body. She shook as she felt them circle her. She buried her face into his fur.

“Fuck Peter, you killed her dog.”

“Well she shouldn’t have fucking ran from us. Or did you forget that?”

“Yeah but still. You don’t just go around killing dogs man.”

The men began to argue but their words barely made sense to her. What now? Her brain shuffled through the rules. Except they didn’t seem to matter. All she could think about was Spartan. Spartan the little puppy she had found so small and alone. The little puppy that had followed her around on unsteady feet. The puppy she raised and taught and learned from. For four years they had been the perfect team. The only family she had. Now he was gone. Gone because of the monsters that now stood around her.

“She’s just one girl. Let’s just kill her and be done with this mess already.”

“That is not how we do things and you know it, Peter.”

“Will, is right. We take her back and the boss will decide what to do with her.”

“Of course you side with him, George because you don’t know how to think for yourself.”

“What the Hell you just say to me you little-"

“Will and George are right. Peter you’ve caused enough problems today. For once shut up and follow protocol.”

“Fine. So tie her up, Grant and let’s go.”

Rules be damned. “You better just kill me. If you don’t, I promise, you’ll regret it.”

Peter laughed, “Shut her up.”

The last thing she saw was the butt of a shotgun. Then darkness. Darkness and that feeling. That feeling of absolute hate. A feeling that was familiar.

***

**_Ten Years Earlier_ **

“Hurry up or I will leave you behind again.”

She stomped after him. Her bag heavy on her back. They had been walking nonstop for days and to say that she was tired was an understatement. She was sick of moving but his threat was real. Just a few days earlier he had left her alone. Tracking him down had been hard and scary. She never wanted to be alone again.

“Tell me the first rule.”

“Again? Why?”

He stopped and turned to her. Her stared down at her. His stare stopping her in her tracks. “What is the first rule?”

She sighed, “Trust no one. You can only rely on yourself.”

“But do you understand why?”

He had never asked her that before. It was always repeat the rules. Never why. This was a new lesson. He bended down in front of her so they were eye to eye. She forced herself not to flinch.

“Look into my eyes and tell me what you see.”

“Um, grey I guess. The same cold grey I’ve always seen.”

“You have five seconds to try again and give me the right answer.”

Five seconds. Five seconds to tell him something that she didn’t understand. Something that she did not see. She may not have seen it in five seconds. After those seconds she felt it.

At second six he had struck her hard across the face. She ended up on her back, sprawled on the ground seeing stars. She had refused to make a sound as the pain overtook her. Instead she spit up her blood and stumbled back on her feet. Her lesson wasn’t done yet.

“You should be able to read me better than anyone. You should have known exactly what I was going to do. Five seconds is a gift. If you are lucky you might have three. You won’t be able avoid people forever and you need to be able to read them. You have to understand them. Their stance, their words, their tone and their eyes can tell you what you need to know. It will let you know when to run or when you have to pull that trigger.”

“Okay. So is that it? End of lesson then?”

He started walking again and she followed after him. She rubbed her jaw and tried to focus on anything but the ache in it. She thought instead of rule one.

“Trust no one. Be aware of everyone. Find their intentions. Am I missing anything?”

“Yes, there is something else you should have learned from this.”

“That you’re an asshole and I hate you.”

He let out a dry chuckle, “Yes. But also that everyone will turn on you. They either turn into a walker or they turn on you. Just like today even I will become someone who will betray you. Never forget that, kid.”

Okay. So rule one had evolved. Which means that the others would too. She was starting to understand him more and more. As angry as she was she felt like she understood this lesson.

“I still hate you.”

“It’s better that way, Kid. Trust me.”

***

She woke up. She found her hands and feet bond as well as being tied against a tree. Her head was still foggy as she tried to take in her surroundings. The group of men had made camp it seemed. There was a fire and one was already asleep next to. George, the big guy. That was good. It would be hard to take him out if he was awake. She had to target him first if she could. If they ended up hand to hand she would be completely outmatched.

“Well, well look who’s awake. Hey there girlie. You hungry? Thanks to you we found ourselves a pretty good meal.”

Peter. His name didn’t matter that much to her honestly. What did matter were those cold, blue eyes. Blue eyes that she saw were filled with his intention. His intention to harm her. His intention to hurt her. She wondered if he saw that her green ones were mirroring his right now. He was eating something. Chewing on it vigorously. Some kind of meat. His words settled on her mind and her stomach began to turn.

He was eating Spartan. He was eating him right in front of her. She let out a sound that was almost inhuman as emotion poured out if her. She was going to end him. No matter what.

“Oh you don’t want a bite? More for me then.” He said, his mouth full, his laugh bellowing in the darkness.

“Hey keep it down, Peter.” William. Brown eyes. Not as cold. Warm even if it wasn’t for the fact they held so much focus. He wasn’t a manic. But his eyes were not kind eyes. They were ready and willing to kill.

“Girl woke up. Can I play with her?”

“No. I’ll talk to her. You always take it too far, Peter. We need her in one piece.”

The last one Grant. He squatted down on front of her. Scar on his face under his left eye, scratching at his beard as his eyes met her’s. His eyes were no better than his companions. They told her the most because they were set right on her’s. They said, I don’t really give a damn about you. You will talk or you will regret it. Then his words confirmed what she saw.

“Listen, kid. Don’t waste my time. Tell me how many are with you and I won’t hurt you too badly. Our boss will be pissed if we bring you back all broken up. It’s really up to you how much this hurts. You understand me?”

She understood more than he would ever know. He held her knife in his hand. He slammed her head against the tree in response to her silence putting the blade right to her throat. She didn’t even let out a whimper as it pricked at her skin.

“Shit. This one is a little badass. Might have to let you work on her a little bit after all, Peter.”

“Definitely my type. She can’t even eighteen yet. Just the way I like ‘em. Could be real fun. Been awhile since we caught one so fresh.”

“Fucking disgusting bastard. You’re lucky I’m not allowed to kill you.”

“That’s why you can fuck off, William. The boss appreciates my skills unlike you. You have no imagination.”

Too bad they weren’t fully focused on her.

She took in a breath as she pressed her thumb against the wood hearing it crack. It was a small price to pay as she managed to shimmy one hand free. Then the other. As Grant turned to break up the argument between the other two she struck. She grabbed his wrist and thrust away from her throat and straight into his. He was still gurgling as she pulled him over top of her and began sawing away at the bonds on her feet. She had to get them free first. Those two were so heated they hadn’t even noticed that their partner was dead. Luck was on her side but it wouldn’t last long. Quicker, quicker she had to be quicker.

“Grant, tell this psycho to- What the fuck!” Feet released she pulled the shotgun off Grant's body and she shot as she pulled herself free of the tree. William’s brain splattered. Two down, two to go.

Peter was firing back. George was awake and scrambling for his gun too. Luckily she had Grant’s body to shield her but that wouldn’t help long. She shot again and George fell cussing, still alive but now also firing back at her.

“How the Hell did she get loose?”

“Who cares! That bitch is dead!”

She shoved the dead weight off her as her human shield was riddled with bullets. She took cover behind the same tree she had been tied to. The rules driven into her said run now and keep running. Don’t get involved with a group. Vanish and let them forget you. Disappear. Disappear and survive.

“I’m gonna skin you alive! Wish I got to that to that mutt of yours! But at least he tasted damn delicious! I bet you’ll taste delicious too. Gonna sink my teeth right in ya!”

No. Right now, in that moment, the rules just didn’t matter. All that mattered was the feelings building inside her. The feelings she couldn’t let go. She wouldn’t just ran away. They were going to pay. He was going to pay.

She had two more rounds. Two more rounds.

_*Better make them count, Kid.*_

Quickly she moved. Took in a breath. Aimed. Fired. Headshot, motherfucker.

Then there was one. Peter. The one she wanted to end most.

“Die Bitch!”

They shot at they same time. Her shot missed and thankfully so did his. Except he had more bullets she didn’t. He fired again and she jumped away just in time. Then he had to reload. This would be her one and only chance.

Rushing forward she kicked the embers of the dimming fire right in his face. He shrieked trying to wipe the hot ash out his eyes. Then she slammed the shotgun against his skull. He fell to ground. Relentless she found herself kicking him. His bones cracked as her boots made contact over and over again. His sounds of suffering only making her kick him harder and harder.

“You, you dumb bitch. Don’t you know-ugh they are gonna find you! My group, my boss- he ain’t gonna let you away after this.”

He was withering beneath her. Becoming drenched in blood. Her hands shook with rage as she grabbed him by the collar. His eyes had shifted as she drew her knife. Now they held fear. Fear of her.

“W-who, who the fuck are you?”

She ran her knife down his face, putting the point directly into the hallow of his throat. Her eyes sharp and cold as his were when he had looked at her when he had gleefully sat and ate her one true friend. Green eyes that held only hatred. The last thing his own eyes would ever see.

“You want to know who I am?”

Taking her free hand she clutched his throat cutting off his airway. His hands scrambled to break her away but it was pointless. She slid the knife in and he choked as his blood spurted out of him. The warm red covered her face as his life began to slip away in her grasp.

“I. Am. Icarus.”

And the last of the four was no more.

**Author's Note:**

> Icarus is 17 at this point in her life.  
> Spartan was 4.
> 
> For 3 years they had survived in this world together.  
> Losing him was always the starting point of her story. It has been driven in my mind but actually writing it hurt like hell. 
> 
> Icarus' journey is not finished.  
> There is more than just Walkers waiting for her.


End file.
